Category Archives: General

Dining, General

Ten Ingredients: At Casa Dante, Chef Freda Creates Italian Dishes a Traditional Grandmother Would Love

River View Observer: “Your Source for Fine and Casual Dining in Hudson County 

By Sally Deering

 chef freda croppedDuring the summer months, River View Observer likes to slip into the kitchen of some of Hudson’s best restaurants and shine a spotlight on the chefs who create the delicious dishes on their menus. This week, RO visited Casa Dante restaurant a few blocks north of Journal Square on Newark Avenue. Casa Dante opened 40 years ago and changed hands about 8 years ago just around the time Chef Gregg Freda came on board as Executive Chef.

Newark Ave. could use a little fixing-up, that’s for sure, and it appears the street outside Casa Dante will be going through some demo to put in new street lights, but that shouldn’t deter a visit to Casa Dante. Once you step inside the restaurant’s foyer, you are immediately transported to an extremely tranquil setting where a visitor can easily relax and enjoy the traditional Italian cuisine. Another good reason: Casa Dante has its own parking lot, a rarity in Jersey City.

Inside Casa Dante Restaurant in Jersey City Casa Dante’s menu includes Antipasto dishes like Mozzarella in Carrozza, mozzarella, parmigiano encrusted bread, lightly fried; served with a size of the house marinara sauce; Clams Oregnata, Little Neck clams baked with oregano-seasoned bread crumbs; and Fried Calamari, tender fresh calamari lightly fried and served with lemon and a choice of sweet or hot marinara.  Salads feature the Insalada di Avocado, avocado, hearts of palm, fresh mozzarella and diced tomatoes with lemon and olive oil dressing; and Crabmeat Salad, tangy arugula, colossal crabmeat and asparagus in garlic and lemon dressing. And the House Specialty, Seafood Salad ala Dante, chilled shrimp, scungilli, calamari, diced tomato, lemon, garlic and olive oil. There are Pasta, Chicken, Veal, Seafood and Steak entrees, all traditional Italian cuisine.  Chef Freda also creates daily specials, some with a flavorful twist.

Let’s meet Chef Freda!

RVO: Chef Freda, what is your background and how did you get interested in cooking?

CF:  I was born in Newark and raised in Verona. I’m the middle-child. My mother’s side of the family has always been into food. My grandfather Frank Panico was a butcher and had his own shop in Newark. My first job was in King Supermarket where I worked as a cashier while I was still in high school. I was always around food. Then my uncle Frank opened Panico’s restaurant and I started out as a cook, worked my way to sous chef and chef. That was in the 90s. Continue reading Ten Ingredients: At Casa Dante, Chef Freda Creates Italian Dishes a Traditional Grandmother Would Love →

General

OSCAR SHOT! Sam Borowski’s New Film MANIAC Premiers at Rhode Island Film Fest for a Shot at an Oscar Nod

By Sally Deering

Maniac_Poster_HDFIXboxdavid (2) The 17th Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIFF) takes place Tues, Aug 6 and runs through Sun, Aug. 12, and one of the short films on the festival’s schedule is MANIAC directed by Sam Borowski and starring Bill Sorvino of Jersey City. Borowski, whose films have competed at the Golden Door International Film Festival in Jersey City – which is produced by Sorvino – will premiere MANIAC at RIFF for the chance to be an Oscar contender in the Best Short Film category.

MANIAC makes its world premiere on Sunday, the closing night of the festival.  In the short film, Sorvino plays ‘The Man’ a good guy who does bad things for good reasons.

“It’s about a man who turns to vigilantism after being pushed over the edge,” Borowski says. “Something happens that makes him turn. It’s like violent philanthropy. He’s trying to rid the world of bad people. It’s a socially relevant film. The last few years have been a sort of Depression. If you look at the social and economic climate of the country, somebody who’s not right is affected even more by the fact that things are really tough out there.

“The character of ‘The Man’ played by Sorvino believes in doing what’s right but he breaks the law,” Borowski continues. “We’re trying to look at what pushes people over the edge. It will get people talking on both sides. That’s why I know it’s relevant. It’s very shades of gray; not all bad, but not all good.”

MANIAC was written by Nihad Shalabi, an Intern at Borowski’s The Naoj Company. Shalabi came to Borowski with a story he wrote, Borowski says he liked it, did a rewrite and put it on his immediate ‘to do’ list.

Continue reading OSCAR SHOT! Sam Borowski’s New Film MANIAC Premiers at Rhode Island Film Fest for a Shot at an Oscar Nod →

General

Jersey City Mayor Fulop to Train With Fire Department Recruits Will Suit Up & Participate in ‘Live Burn’

 

JERSEY CITY SEAL LOGOJERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop will join 21 Jersey City probationary firefighters from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at the Morris County Police and Fire Training Academy, 500 West Hanover Avenue, Parsippany.

Mayor Fulop will spend the morning training with the firefighters to experience firsthand what Jersey City’s bravest undergo on a daily basis. Part of the training will also include Mayor Fulop participating in a “live burn” to experience the hot and smoky conditions in which firefighters work. A live burn is fire simulator in which fire is fed by propane gas. Continue reading Jersey City Mayor Fulop to Train With Fire Department Recruits Will Suit Up & Participate in ‘Live Burn’ →

Dining, General

Hudson Restaurant Week July 29th-August 9th

header HRW

 

 

 

Hudson Restaurant Week brings us 45 wonderful reasons to go out and dine from July 29th -August 9th.

Visit their website @  http://www.hudsonrestaurantweek.com/ to find out all the details for a delicious way to spend a summer day or evening.

 

 

General

TEN INGREDIENTS : At The Merchant Restaurant in Jersey City, Owner and Chef Dave O’Brien Puts the Pub Back in Jersey City

River View Observer -Your Source for Fine and Causal Dining Presents Ten Ingredients

 By Sally Deering

Front of the Merchant Restaurant in Jersey City Since June 2002, The Merchant bar and restaurant on Grove Street has been the unofficial watering hole for city workers who come in to relax after a hard day at City Hall. In fact, it’s not unusual to see the mayor sit down in the back with members of his staff. Just last week, Jersey City’s newly-elected Mayor Steve Fulop celebrated his election at The Merchant.

Owners Dave O’Brien and his sister Anne-Marie share the responsibilities of running the neighborhood pub which features a beautiful bar and two large, red-bricked rooms for dining. They serve an American menu with regional twists, says O’Brien who also is Executive Chef. The brother and sister team hail originally from Ireland and although the menu is considered American, there’s a nod here and there to their Irish roots.

David O'Brien of the Merchant Restaurant Jersey City
Dave  O’Brien

The Merchant offers Lunch & Dinner, Brunch and Late Night Menus with Appetizers, Salads, Sandwiches, Pastas and Entrees to choose from. There’s a House Specialty, too, The Gourmet Short Rib Burger with Horseradish, Chive, Cheddar, Bourbon-Bacon, Heirloom Tomato, Iceberg Lettuce and Beer-Fried Onions on a Brioche Bun and served with Hand-Cut Fries. ($15)

Other outstanding dishes include the Fried Calamari appetizer ($10); the Cobb Salad ($11); Mac & Cheese ($10/$14); and the Char Grilled Angus Skirt Steak ($18).

On a busy Friday, Dave O’Brien took time out of his busy schedule to share with Riverview Observer’s readers his “Ten Ingredients” for The Merchant’s success.

Let’s meet Chef Dave O’Brien!

Continue reading TEN INGREDIENTS : At The Merchant Restaurant in Jersey City, Owner and Chef Dave O’Brien Puts the Pub Back in Jersey City →

General

History Detective: Author and Historian Cynthia T. Harris Sees the Beauty – and Importance – of Dusty Old Pictures and Faded Yearbooks

   By Sally Deering

History Detective Cynthia Harris
Cynthia T. Harris

Imagine a collection of written documents that date back to 1629 before America was even a country, or a series of photos chronicling Jersey City life in the 40s and 50s? Then there’s the “Douglass Map of 1841” the first of a genre of maps of Jersey City depicting property owners and their land lots.  Cynthia T. Harris manages these treasures housed in the New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Free Public Library on Jersey Avenue in Jersey City. The New Jersey Room holds some of the most important documents in the history of New Jersey and specifically Hudson County and Harris its very own history detective.

As Manager of the New Jersey Room, Harris oversees the cataloguing – and deciphering – of documents and photographs housed in the archives on the top floor. There, Harris and her staff of librarians – John Beekman and Daniel Klein, library assistants and volunteers assist visitors, especially those researching  their family trees and searching for clues to events that are extremely personal to their lives. Continue reading History Detective: Author and Historian Cynthia T. Harris Sees the Beauty – and Importance – of Dusty Old Pictures and Faded Yearbooks →

General

HCCC Plans Special Events for Current and Prospective Students Who Are Armed Forces Veterans


August 20th event will include assistance with tuition-free enrollment paperwork, benefits information and a barbecue for veterans and their families

 

 

hccc-logo300dpi Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will host a special “Veterans’ Welcome Day” event, specifically designed to meet the needs of veterans of the armed forces on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place at the College’s Culinary Arts Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City — just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center. The event will take place rain or shine.

“Veterans’ Welcome Day” is open to veterans who are currently students at HCCC, as well as those who are interested in becoming HCCC students or considering enrollment, and those who are newly enrolled as HCCC students. Veterans who attend the event will be able to receive assistance in applying for admission to the College (with HCCC application fees waived), and to learn about how they may take advantage of VA education benefits and mental health services as well as HCCC students’ services. The College will also provide a barbecue for veterans and their families. Continue reading HCCC Plans Special Events for Current and Prospective Students Who Are Armed Forces Veterans →

General, Our Community

Jersey City Gets New Public Safety Director James Shea

James Shea
James Shea
Photo by Steve Mack
Photo by Steve Mack

Mayor Fulop Appoints NYPD Deputy Chief James Shea as Public Safety Director  Concludes National Search Headed by Former NYPD/FDNY Commissioner Howard Safir

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop today announced the appointment of NYPD Deputy Chief James Shea as the new Public Safety Director for Jersey City overseeing the Police and Fire Departments following an extensive national search.

James Shea
James Shea
Jersey City’s Public Safety Director
Photo by Steve Mack

Shea, who will reside in Jersey City, has most recently served as Deputy Chief of the NYPD responsible for the Youth and Gang Crime Division, focusing on the expansion and enhancement of the division and targeting a reduction in gang violence. Other recent assignments have included commanding some of the toughest areas,working on issues such as robberies, street crime and terrorism.

“Jersey City has been dealing with serious public safety issues for some time, which my administration is committed to addressing immediately,” said Mayor Fulop. “James has both the experience, knowledge, and management skills to implement real change as it relates to public safety and I am confident he will lead Jersey City on the right path toward reducing crime and making our city one of the safest mid-size cities in
America.” Continue reading Jersey City Gets New Public Safety Director James Shea →

General

Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property

Luxury Building Marks First Development Adjacent to Newport Green Park; Already 40% Leased

 Laguna 1Laguna 2  

 

Jersey City, NJ (July 15, 2013) – Laguna, the newest high-end residential property in the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City, is now available for renting. Already 40 percent leased, the 19-story Hudson River-waterfront building features 158 one, two and three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 759 square feet to 2,015 square feet. The Laguna marks the first of the master-planned community’s final phase of development, which will surround the neighborhood’s award-winning 4.25-acre park, Newport Green.

“We broke the mold with the Laguna to create a product unique to existing offerings in Newport,” said Jamie LeFrak, principal at LeFrak. “We engaged a nationally-known design firm to add upscale finishes to every home and luxurious building amenities like a screening room and rooftop lounge. Paired with Laguna’s location next to the park, the building represents the 27-year evolution of our vision to transform the Jersey City waterfront into a thriving neighborhood with open green spaces and sidewalks full of residents and visitors.” Continue reading Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property →